The Rector Opened an Exhibition Devoted to 20 Years of Cooperation between the UNWE and the Economic and Social Council of the Republic of Bulgaria

At an official ceremony in the Central lobby the Rector Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov opened an exhibition entitled The University and the Citizens' Parliament of Bulgaria devoted to 20 years of cooperation between the UNWE and the Economic and Social Council /ESC/ of the Republic of Bulgaria.

The Rector of the UNWE Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, Prof. Dr. Lalko Dulevsky, Chairman of the ESC /in the period 17.09.2003 - 24.01. 2021/ and Chairman of the UNWE General Assembly, Zornitsa Rusinova, Chairperson of the ESC, Dr. Plamen Dimitrov, member of the ESC and President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria /CITUB/, Dr. Bogomil Nikolov, member of the ESC and President of Active Consumers Association /from the right to the left/

With this exhibition, we want to celebrate our successful collaboration with the ESC and the role of our university in the establishment and development of the ESC which became 20 years old on 10 December and was founded right here at the UNWE. The ESC is an institution that is a symbol of civil society in Bulgaria. Over these years the ESC has undoubtedly played a very important role in developing a constructive public dialogue and has become a place of consensus in times of profound and dynamic change in our country. As a body entrusted with the task of being the civic parliament of Bulgaria and ensuring a broad representation in the social and economic life of the country, the Economic and Social Council in its purest form implements the principles of the state of law", said the Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov.

"Thank you for this initiative because in the context of this 20^th Anniversary we cannot ignore the role played by the joint partnership between the UNWE and the Economic and Social Council only because the first headquarters of the ESC was in the University building but also because many of the former and current members of ESC are lecturers or graduates of UNWE. I also graduate my Master`s degree and currently I am a Doctoral student at the University and it is a great honour for me", emphasized Zornitsa Rusinova, Chairperson of the ESC, adding: "There is an explanation for this because with the demand for expertise and scientific potential in the ESC it is quite normal for the largest business university to make a serious contribution to its staff”.

"I am very happy at this moment because this exhibition is part of UNWE's institutional memory which our university has kept for more than 100 years because the ESC is even registered at the UNWE - a fact that not everyone knows. We tried to find out how many lecturers and alumni of the University have been members of the ESC over its first and its last term and I should say that I am personally very impressed. When the ESC was founded there has been 16 people from the UNWE and in the present term there are 17. It speaks not only for the scale of the University but also for the quality of its lecturers and staff. I am really glad that we have managed to show UNWE's contribution to the development and foundation of ESC", said Prof. Dr. Lalko Dulevsky, Chairman of the ESC /in the period 17.09.2003 - 24.01.2021/ and Chairman of the General Assembly of UNWE. He also emphasized: "Historically, I would like to note that there is no country in the European Union before us where the Citizens' Parliament has emerged in the purest, freest environment - the academic one. Bulgaria is the first of the new 12 EU member states where the ESC was established on the model of the European Economic and Social Committee as a new type of institution that is completely independent of the legislative and executive powers".

"This exhibition really has an institutional memory and it is very important for future generations. The fact that the UNWE has given birth to Citizens' Parliament is little known. It is a unique event compared to all other member states of the European Union so it is good to highlight and show it as in our country as abroad", said Dr. Plamen Dimitrov, member of the ESC and President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria /CITUB/, adding: "Many people have doubts when the Council was founded whether it would be able to work constructively but these 20 years of the ESC's history have proven that this skepticism was not justified and what we do now and have done over all these years is really worthy and its expertise is high enough”.

The exhibition shows the chronological history of the ESC and its cooperation with the UNWE.

The Rector awarded to Dr. Plamen Dimitrov the large statuette of Prof. Stefan Bobchev - Founder and First Rector of UNWE and an Honorary diploma for his contribution to the development of the cooperation between the UNWE and the ESC and to the enhancement of the reputation of Bulgarian higher education and science.

Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov awarded the Commemorative medal of Prof. Stefan Bobchev - Founder and First Rector of UNWE to Zornitsa Rusinova for her contribution to the development of the cooperation between the UNWE and the ESC and for promoting the good name and authority of the University.

The Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov awarded the Commemorative medal of Prof. Stefan Bobchev - Founder and First Rector of UNWE to Prof. Dr. Lalko Dulevsky for his contribution to the development of the cooperation between the UNWE and the Esc and for promoting the good name and reputation of the University.

The event was attended by the Rector's Managing Body in the person of Prof. Dr. Matilda Alexandrova, Vice Rector for Educational Activities, Assoc. Prof. D.Sc. Michail Musov, Vice Rector for Research and International Affairs, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rosen Kirilov, Vice Rector for Digitalization and Cybersecurity, current and former members of the ESC, lecturers, employees and students.

The Economic and Social Council /ESC/ of the Republic of Bulgaria was established by the Economic and Social Council of Bulgaria Act /published in SG 41/2001/. The ESC /also called 'the Council'/ is a budget-dependent legal entity based in Sofia and it is a secondary budget authorizing body of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria.

The ESC is "a consultative body that expresses the will of civil society structures for economic and social development".

The mission of the ESC of Bulgaria is not only to be a partner in the governance of the state but also a powerful engine of organized civil society driven by consensus, arguments, compromises but always aiming at progress and justice.

The establishment of the ESC as a new institution of civil dialogue in Bulgaria marked a new stage in the development of organized civil society.

The Council was constituted as a functioning body when it held its first plenary session on 10 December 2003. On 25 January 2021 it began its fourth four-year mandate.

Bulgaria is the first country of the so-called "new" EU member states to create its own Economic and Social Council with a special law and without the involvement of the state. The creation itself and the existence of the ESC has changed both the political environment in Bulgaria and the socio-economic and industrial relations as the Council is a platform for agreement between the employers, the trade unions and the NGOs with different interests.

The establishment of such a democratic civil society institution was one of our country's commitments as part of the accession process to the European Union which it has successfully implemented.

By the full membership of Bulgaria in the EU on 1 January 2007 the ESC was faced to new challenges and tasks. Today it is one of the national councils of the member states of the EU, which are highly valued, recognized and respected by the European institutions for their work in promoting and developing new forms of the civil dialogue in Bulgaria.